Boston-area to do list

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Pick of the Day

Small space, large impact

This new museum could easily fit into one itsy bitsy space at the Museum of Fine Arts. You read that correctly. The Micro Museum is a 10-by-16-by-8-inch gallery space wedged into a gap between two commercial buildings in Somerville’s Union Square. It’s almost invisible, which happens to be part of the debut-exhibit name “Invisible Cities.” Pictured: (top) the site before installation; (above) a composite rendering of the installation.24/7 through Oct. 11 (Aug. 15 opening reception 6:30-8 p.m.). Free. Micro Museum,72½ Union Square, Somerville.
www.themicromuseum.com

Thursday

The long and shore of it The sights and sounds along Long Wharf are different from the days when merchants filled warehouses with silks, madras, and cashmere from China and the East Indies. Today, the historic wharf is home to hotels and restaurants that you’ll pass on The Waterfront Walking Tour when your guide takes you back to those seafaring days. 6-7:30 p.m. $15. Meet at the boat dock beside 290 Congress St., Boston. 617-367-2345. www.bostonbyfoot.org

Dance, ballerina, dance Imagine answering the question “Who are you wearing?” with “Matisse.” That’s how Alicia Markova could have replied when being swarmed by the paparazzi. The ballerina who danced to Balanchine choreography was the first to appear on television and is the subject of Globe writer Tina Sutton’s “The Making of Markova.” 7 p.m. Free. Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard St., Brookline. 617-566-6660. www.brooklinebooksmith.com

Setting the record straight This Neil Diamond isn’t recognized for his recordings. The filmmaker is known for setting the record straight about the myth of “the Injun” in classic and recent films. The Cree filmmaker’s “Reel Injun” screens at the Fruitlands Museum and is followed by a curator’s talk at the Native American gallery. 7 p.m. Free. Fruitlands Museum, 102 Prospect Hill Road, Harvard. 978-456-3924. www.fruitlands.org

Epic proportions Steve Hendrickson comes with battered baggage, exactly as he should for Chester Theatre Company’s production of “An Iliad.” The one-man show by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare is based on Robert Fagles’s translation of Homer’s classic. We’ll get things started: Enter an old man carrying a battered suitcase (the rest is up to Hendrickson). 8 p.m. (through Aug. 25). $30 (Wed-Fri), $35 (Sat, Sun). Historic Town Hall, 15 Middlefield Road, Chester. 800-595-4849. www.chestertheatre.org

Friday

Eight is enough We have never counted to a billion, but the opportunity comes our way at Friday’s Boston Poetry Marathon where “a billion local and visiting poets” read for eight minutes. Aug. 16 from 7-10 p.m. (through Aug. 18). Free. Outpost 186, 186½ Hampshire St., Inman Square, Cambridge.
www.outpost186.com

Saturday

What a sport Our Dad used to zip through traffic lights in the wee hours of the morning on his way to work. His zip was courtesy of his orange MG, which our sister and I were not allowed to drive. Feast your eyes on Morris Garage gems at Larz Anderson Auto Museum’s MG Day. Aug. 17 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. $10, $5 students, seniors, ages 6-12, military. Larz Anderson Auto Museum, 15 Newton St., Brookline. 617-522-6547. www.larzanderson.org